ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to protest the latest unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian border forces along the Line of Control (LoC) which resulted in the death of two civilians a day earlier.
A 75-year-old elderly man, Lal Muhammad, and a 61-year-old Hassan Din, residents of Nagrai village, embraced martyrdom. Another seven-year-old child sustained critical bullet wounds.
According to Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal: “The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and working boundary have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons.”
According to the statement, “unprecedented escalation” in ceasefire violations by Indian forces has been going on since 2017 when they committed 1,970 such violations.
The statement termed the deliberate targeting of areas populated by civilians as “deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights, and humanitarian laws”. It added that India’s ceasefire violations were a threat to both regional peace and security, and “may lead to a strategic miscalculation”.
Dr. Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement. He asked New Delhi to investigate these as well as other incidents of ceasefire violations and to instruct Indian forces to respect the ceasefire “in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary”.
The spokesperson also urged the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The development comes amid simmering tensions between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals as Modi-led Hindu nationalist Indian government revoked the special status for the occupied region earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Pakistan reiterated enforcement for stability and prosperity in Hong Kong. According to a spokesperson, “Pakistan believes that Hong Kong’s affairs are China’s internal affairs.
“We, therefore, understand the measures taken by the Central Government of China and the Hong Kong SAR Government to safeguard national sovereignty and Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”